The Top Five IF's in the West

At the beginning of the week we looked at the Eastern Conference's biggest question marks. Today we look at the powerhouse conference that is the West. Last year was the most competitive that the conference has ever been, and it looks like we're going to have another extremely close race again this season. While some teams have improved dramatically, some have stayed right where they were at last season. In a conference that is always improving, we could see some of the traditional powers from the past few years fall from the top. Here's a look at the West's five biggest IF's:

IF Andrew Bynum picks up where he left off…
It took Bynum's knee a lot longer to heal than originally expected, but he has finally been cleared and is on track to be ready for training camp. Despite the fact that the Lakers came within two games of winning the NBA championship,it was obvious at times that they really missed Bynum's ability to rebound, block shots, and finish around the rim. With a healthy Bynum this Laker team could be very scary, especially if Odom makes a smooth transition back to the small forward spot. There's a lot of talk about a dynasty reforming in LA, but it hinges on Bynum being able to fit in and stay healthy.

IF Houston can stay healthy…
With the recent acquisition of Ron Artest this finally appears to be the year that Houston will live up to expectations. On paper they are close, if not even with the Los Angeles Lakers. The biggest issue with Houston though is staying healthy, something they have been incapable of doing during the McGrady-Yao era. Yao's early return from a broken foot to play in the Olympics certainly doesn't help the cause, but he has looked pretty impressive so far. The other wildcard is keeping Ron Artest in-line, but this Houston team is capable of making some major noise this season. An NBA Championship is a definite possibility should this team be able to stay healthy and get on the same page.

IF Portland can successfully integrate three rookies…
Portland's success was one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season. The most frightening part about it was that they did it all without the number 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, Greg Oden. As if his return wasn't enough, Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernadez will also be joining him in Portland this year. This may be the first time that a team has had three viable candidates for the Rookie of the Year award. While last year's Portland team was very good, the success of their three rookies will make or break their season. They need all three to step in and contribute right away in order to hang in the West. Considering Oden's amazing talent, Bayless' impressive play in Vegas, and Fernadez's strong showing in Beijing, expect Portland to be a playoff team in 2009.

IF age has finally caught up with the Spurs…
The San Antonio Spurs have already cemented themselves as a dynasty and the team of the decade along with Los Angeles Lakers, but their championship days may be over. They are still one of the contenders in the West, but the rest of the conference has made up a lot of ground – and a couple of teams have even passed them up. The Spurs failed to make a big splash this offseason, despite trying to do so. Corey Maggette, J.R. Smith, and Jannero Pargo were all high on the Spurs' priority list, but financially they simply couldn't obtain them. Instead they settled for signing Roger Mason Jr. and bringing back Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley. This team remains one of the oldest in the league and they have only slightly improved. It's hard to imagine them returning to the Western Conference Finals if they don't make some additional changes.

IF Dallas falls out of contention…
You won't find a more competitive owner than Mark Cuban, but his best efforts to put together a contender in Dallas seem to have come up a bit short. The trade for Jason Kidd continues to look like a tremendous mistake, and Josh Howard's actions away from the court have really brought his status into question. We know one thing though, Cuban is going to do everything he can to put a winning team on the floor. If come the February trade deadline Dallas is struggling expect them to be extremely active. They have a staggering $32 million coming off the books next season, and could use that to make a deal with a team looking for cap space. Dallas is definitely a team to keep an eye on this season. Not because they're going to be overly successful, but because some major changes will almost certainly be looked at.

SORRY ABOUT SUNS…